Well Tabata has said the game is no longer like Kingdom Hearts style of action like people have thought. Action is still there but if it's no longer like KH then that it's no longer a full ARPG.
Tabata said they aren't forgetting the roots but they are adding new things and that some things have changed, which they have.
The effects and specifics of party control has been changed since 2011, warping and such, and weapon switching too.
Back in the 2011 trailer weapon switching was automatic while attacking, Nomura stated the weapons would change automatically on their own depending on the combo, this was changed in 2013, and we can see it's still present in the 2014 trailers that weapon switching is now entirely manual and on the fly for you to have full control over.
Warping in the 2011 trailer also didn't have Noctis throwing his sword around into walls or enemies, he would cast a spell where the sword would materialize, then as soon as the spell was cast he would warp to the location that the sword materialized in, and it was always some place in mid air and also very close range, not into a wall or an enemy like we've seen it in 2013 or 2014, obviously it was changed and refined.
Previously there was three party members in battle while the other party members not in your direct party would be in reserve off screen, but now we have four party members in a battle, and any other party members would still be in reserve off screen, they just increased it from three members to four.
Even since last year things such as the weapon switching effects have changed, previously a green swoosh effect would circle around Noctis whenever he switched weapons, but in the 2014 trailer it is now a stream of blue dots that look like sparks.
The game is still very much an Action RPG.
